Microbial contamination of the food supply, both of solid foods and consumable liquids, is a significant and universal problem in all societies and countries, even those widely assumed to generally provide “safe” food supplies. Contamination may occur at any point in the food supply line, from the source of the foodstuffs, introduced during gathering, transportation and marketing, at the point of food processing, and during storage prior to its consumption. Even with a beverage as simple as water, microbial contamination, and hence potential sources of disease, are readily found or introduced. There is a constant need, therefore, for effective means of reducing to acceptable levels (i.e. levels that do not have pathological effects on humans or animals consuming the foods or liquids) microbial contaminants and which do not initiate changes in the foodstuffs that render them unpalatable and/or unmarketable. Desirable antimicrobials, therefore, must be safe for human and animal consumption, cheap since they can be used to treat enormous amounts of consumable products, preferably of long-lasting in effectiveness, and effective in reducing the viability of a wide-range of possible contaminants.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella are major causes of severe food borne disease in the United States and continue to be of public health significance. Salmonella is one of the most frequent causes of food borne illnesses worldwide. In the United States, it causes an estimated 1.4 million cases of illness, approximately 20,000 hospitalizations, and more than 500 deaths annually (Mead, et al., 1999). FoodNet surveillance data of food borne illnesses revealed that the overall incidence of salmonellosis decreased by only 8% from 1996 to 2004 and incidents of Salmonella enteritidis infections has stayed at approximately the same level.
Other pathogens such as, for instance, Klebsiella, V. cholera, Proteus hauseri, Shigella, Yersinia pestis and B. anthracis, and protozoan, together with the more prominent E. coli and Salmonella, comprise a wide-spectrum of food-borne and water-borne pathogens that threaten the safety of the food supply and are now considered a matter of homeland security relevance. These food-borne and water-borne microorganisms are also associated with the spoilage of beverages such as fruit juices, and other protein and/or sugar-containing beverages. Therefore, the development of a unique, pluripotent, widely applicable, and easy to manufacture countermeasure is desirable.
Many pathogen reduction interventions in the meat and poultry industry involve the use of acids or antimicrobial chemical treatments, but most of these interventions reduce E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella contamination by only 10- to 100-fold. There were in 2007 22 recalls of ground beef contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, indicating there are on-going needs for more effective antimicrobial interventions in the meat industry.